This coming Sunday, the Detroit Lions will be in Lucas Oil Stadium to take on the Indianapolis Colts in each team’s first preseason game of the 2017 season.
On Wednesday morning, the Lions media relations released the first unofficial depth chart of the season and there are a couple of things that stand out.
Let’s take a look.
Offense:
As we look at the Lions offensive depth chart, there are no real surprises at this time though it is important to note that Greg Robinson seems to have the heads up on Cyrus Kouandjio at starting left tackle.
Another position of interest is at tight end. Currently, the Lions have Eric Ebron as the No. 1 and Darren Fells at the No. 2, which was expected. The No. 3 TE spot, which many think is up for grabs, has Cole Wick slotted in over rookie Michael Roberts. By the time Week 1 rolls around, the Lions coaching staff will have to determine if they want to go with three or four tight ends on the 53-man roster.
Defense:
Note: Since Ezekiel Ansah is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, he is not shown on the depth chart.
With Ansah out, the Lions have second-year player Anthony Zettel tentatively penciled in as a starting defensive end, along with Kerry Hyder.
Looking at the defensive backs, nothing really stands out as Darius Slay and Nevin Lawson are the top two cornerbacks. If you have been following Lions training camp, you know that rookie second round pick Teez Tabor has struggled to adjust to the NFL game and he will have to improve dramatically if he wants to pass Lawson for the No. 2 spot.
When the Lions signed Paul Worrilow, most assumed he would be slotted in as a starting OLB along with Tahir Whitehead but as you can see on the depth chart, Worrilow is listed as the No. 2 MLB while Antwione Williams is penciled in as a starter on the outside.
Another interesting observation is the rookie CB Jamal Agnew is currently buried on the depth chart. More on that in a moment.
Special Teams:
Ok, we all know that Matt Prater is our kicker and Sam Martin will be the punter but it is interesting to note that rookie draft pick Jamal Agnew is listed as the behind both Golden Tate and TJ Jones as the starting punt returner.
Now, keep in mind that this is an unofficial depth chart which was NOT created by the coaching staff, but if you have been following training camp you have certainly heard about how Agnew has been impressive, to say the least.
Watch as Agnew takes a punt return to the house:
